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Neopilio australis
Neopilio australis Lawrence, 1931 is the type species (by monotypy) of the genus Neopilio (Eupnoi:Neopilionidae). Taxonomy *''N.a.'' Lawrence, 1931:474Lawrence, R.F. (1931) The Harvest-Spiders (Opiliones) of South Africa. Annals of the South African Museum, Cape Town, 29(2), 341–508. *''N.a.'' redescribed Hunt & Cokendolpher, 1991:140Hunt, Glenn S. & James C. Cokendolpher, 1991. Ballarrinae, a new subfamily of harvestmen from the Southern Hemisphere (Arachnida, Opiliones, Neopilionidae). Records of the Australian Museum, Sydney, 43(2): 131-169. Specimens *''N.a.'' female(1) (lectotype) South African Museum, Capetown; "Type No. 1, Signal Hill, from 150,339" *''N.a.'' (paralectotypes) South African Museum, Capetown; "Type No. 2, Signal Hill, from 150,339" *''N.a.'' male(3) + female(4) + juvenile(2) (paralectotypes) Roewer collection, now housed in the Senckenberg Natur-Museum und Forschungsinstitut, Frankfurt, Germany; No. 2937 Diagnosis As for the subfamily. Description (from ) *''Body'': BL 2.75, maximum width 1.19. Specimens faded; dorsum (at least in females) with faint indication of stripe (Lawrence, 1931: fig.67b), venter pale yellow. Eyes concolorous with body. Anterior margin of cephalothorax smooth, eyemound low, rounded and smooth or with few minute spicules above. Abdominal tergites with a few minute setae, otherwise smooth; coxae and sternites smooth, the former with a few setae. *''Spiracle'': Oval, though posterior margin straighter than anterior; surrounded by a raised annulus, particularly posteriorly; partly occluded by grill of closely spaced branching spines arising from the anterior margin; spines long in some specimens, short in others. Integument anterior and posterior to spiracle with numerous rows of micro-ornamentation, sharp close to the spiracle but more distant microtubercles tend to have expanded, concave terminations (may be a shrinkage artifact due to very thin integument). *''Chelicerae'': Small, entirely smooth, second segment with small equal-sized teeth in single row, those of the immovable jaw bifid or trifid in proximal half, conical in distal half. *''Pedipalps'': Pale yellow, denticles and claw dark brown. Femur with colourless short setae, more so ventrally; patella, tibia and proximal end of tarsus with brush-like covering; these setae have short plumes along most of their lengths, plumes without terminal bifurcation. Distal half of tarsus with sensory and non-socketed setae, plumose setae lacking; claw inserted terminally, reflexed, minute and without teeth. Lengths (femurtarsus) 1.00, 0.77, 0.69, 0.79. Ratios patella-tibia 1.12, patella to tarsus 0.97. *''Legs'': Unarmed, femora and tibiae with short setose spines, metatarsi and tarsi with fine minute setae; tarsal formula: 30,57,28-30,33. Measurements (Paralectotype, PIS Lfd 2937): *''Penis'': Shaft widened basally, glans bent dorsally, rigidly attached to glans; stylus a tightly coiled tube; no bristles or barbed process present near shaft-glans junction. *''Female: Similar to male except in the following: body larger; pedipalp longer, patella and tibia more robust and with denser pile of setae; legs shorter. Key measurements: BL 3.75, greatest width 2.05, PFL 1.20, LFL 4.15, LTL 2.95. *''Genitalia: Ovipositor not highly sclerotised; with 18 or 19 segments plus 3 elongate furcal segments, slit sensilla 1-1/1-1 on second furcal segment; few setae on terminal 6-9 segments (including furca). Two seminal receptacles consisting of relatively short loops; weakly sclerotised, only distal triangular region darkly pigmented. Notes *Location: western Cape Province, South Africa References Category:species Category:Afrotropical Category:Fauna of South Africa